Faculty note: Arendt, Alesch publication

Prof. Emeritus Daniel J. Alesch (Public & Environmental Affairs), along with Associate Prof. Lucy A. Arendt (Cofrin School of Business) and Professor Emeritus William J. Petak (USC) have published a book titled, Natural Hazard Mitigation Policy: Implementation, Organizational Choice, and Contextual Dynamics. It is the first volume in the book series Environmental Hazards, edited by Prof. Thomas A. Birkland. According to the authors, the negative consequences of natural hazard events are staggering and growing. Governments are acting to increase community resilience, reduce losses, and facilitate recovery, but these actions do not always yield anticipated consequences. This book is an interdisciplinary analysis of California’s efforts to ensure that acute care hospitals survive earthquakes and continue to function in the aftermath. The book, published by Springer, weaves together several threads essential to understanding the effectiveness of public policies intended to reduce the consequences of natural hazard events: public policy design and administration, the hazard mitigation investment decision made by targeted organizations, and contextual dynamics.